Hong Kong pop star to face trial in Japan after drugs arrest

Apr 9, 2009, 10:56 GMT

   Hong Kong - A Hong Kong pop star is to face trial in Japan after heroin was reportedly found in the Tokyo hotel room where she was staying, her record company said Thursday.

   Jill Vidal, 26, also known as Wei Si, has already been held in custody for more than 40 days following her arrest in the Japanese capital in February.

   Vidal was arrested with fellow Hong Kong pop star Kelvin Kwan, who was later released without charge, on suspicion of possessing cannabis. Police later reportedly found packets of heroin in her hotel room.

   Sources quoted by some Hong Kong newspapers said the amount of heroin found in Vidal's room was sufficient for Japanese authorities to press ahead with drug trafficking charge though other reports said only a small amount was found.

   Vidal's record company said Thursday that she would face trial on April 24. It did not give details of the charges she will face at the trial.

   Vidal and Kwan, 25, were arrested in a bizarre incident in a Tokyo shopping centre on February 24 when shopkeepers claimed a foreign man was shoplifting.

   A police search allegedly found a small quantity of cannabis in a packet of cigarettes Kwan was carrying and the two were taken into custody.

   Ironically, both stars took part in anti-drug campaigns in Hong Kong aimed at stopping youngsters from getting involved in drug abuse before their arrest in Tokyo.

   Kwan, who holds a Canadian passport, is said to have told Tokyo police he brought the cannabis with him from Hong Kong for his own personal use.

   The pair are among a host of young pop stars from Hong Kong whose so-called Canto-pop music is hugely popular with audiences in mainland China, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities.